XSeries-forum

All,

A friend has just bought a 2003 E53 Diesel with 130k on it... it drove fine for 10 miles then starting to slow until it would not move at all... Basic revs but no go.... I have looked through the various gearbox threads and nothing hits this nail on the head...

Any ideas? I'm guessing low oil etc... or is the gearbox fried?

Cheers

Greg

did it go into safe transmission mode mine did that after a flat battery take it out and give it a god charge that may sort it it did with mine

Take it there was no nasty grinding noises first which would point to a damaged drive shaft to the front diff. Does sound like low oil though, but wheres it gone?

change the gearbox oil, now
http://www.xdrivers.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... 595#p19595

Could be torque converter, lack of hydraulic pressure (oil pump or no fluid), clutch packs, control unit, control valves, drive shafts. Sounds more gearbox than anything else.

Changing the fluid is one option, but if it's not low then that's not going to be the answer. If the fluid is very dirty brown, smells burnt and is therefore not a clean pink then it's probably a tranny rebuild required. That bill will be around £2k to £2.5k depending upon damage and labour charges, less if it's only the TC.

so had the codes read and its the following.....

55 gear monitoring 5 and 52 gear monitoring 2

Anybody help me with these?

Those codes mean that the gearbox is noting incorrect ratios in 5th and 2nd due to slippage. Could be due to low fluid levels.

If you've had the fluid checked and if necessary changed, fault codes cleared and the gearbox reprogrammed - the BMW recommended action according to the web - then a more detailed diagnosis is required. Fluid changes could either solve the issue, or make it worse. There are two well delineated schools of thought on this point. Some owners have changed the fluid and all is well, others see no change, and yet others have suffered a failure within a few thousand miles or less (which to me indicates the box was on the way out anyway).

It could be any of a number of issues - none good I'm afraid - such as leaking clutch pack which means the oil pump cannot maintain fluid pressure to keep the clutch closed, faulty brake packs in the box, bad torque converter or a bad solenoid.

As you're in Hampshire (I know it's a big country ), try Automatic Transmission Services in Southampton. Give them a call and see what they think. I've not used them, but others may know them and what they're like.

Many thanks.... It was trailored off on Monday to get a recon box fitted... The oil was black and burnt.. box was diagnosed as stuffed....

Sorry to hear of your woes. Been there too nearly two years ago with mine. I still can't believe that BMW GB will still not accept there's an issue with these Auto's. Every transmission specialist knows all about it, and not just from the BMW variant of the ZF boxes. Every car manufacturer with this transmission has issues with it. Talk about head-in-the-sand!!